Ualter na Isigidh (ˈwal.tɛɾ nɑ ˈiʃ.i.ɣʲ)
Ualter na Isigidh is the leader of The Talespinners, and orchestrated the storytelling campaign known as the Cogadh na Scéalaithe. He is also the owner of the Three-Headed Tavern in Aerendel's Docks district, and one of the most influential storytellers in the Great Ring.
Birth and Early Life
Ualter was born on the island of Oileán Fiáin, in the Kingdom of Fennell. His father was Colm na Isigidh, a storyteller and bard associated with the Night Court of the Fae. His mother was a Bernician artist named Molli, who was a distant relation of the House of Klüpfuchs. Ualter is named for his maternal grandfather, a minor noble in Bernicia whom he has never met.
In the Night Court of the Fae
Growing up in the Night Court, Ualter was exposed to more of the Fae than most children, and developed a keen understanding for how information and storytelling impacts both the listener and the world they live in. He studied under his father and the other bards of the Night Court, mastering several instruments and learning all the classical songs and tales expected of a master bard. When he came of age, Ualter chose to leave the Court and spend his time as a wandering player so as to see the world. He joined with a troupe of Maskers at first, and journeyed with them for three years, traveling as far as the city of Kendari on Lahat. Longing for the hills of Oileán Fiáin, he parted ways with the Masker troupe and took ship back to the east. He arrived home shortly after the ascension of Cianán Líathdhuine to the seat of the Ard-Rí, and after a long visit with his parents embarked on a tour of the five kingdoms of Oileán Fiáin.
Trapped in the Dolphin Islands
Caught Up in a Story
When Ualter visited the city of Aerendel in Liria, he fell under the thrall of an Invasive Narrative, which drew him into a story of a charismatic outlaw and his band, becoming their resident minstrel. The story drew the band across the sea to the Dolphin Islands, the half-real archipelago that lies over the western horizon. There, Ualter was passed from story to story and role to role for an unclear amount of time, before he finally learned how to dance with the narrative and twist his path back onto an eastern-bound ship. When he returned to Aerendel five years had passed, but he had aged more than thirty in his time away.
Leader of the Talespinners
The Three-Headed Tavern
It was at this point when he came to the attention of Ruairí Marcach Stoirm, the Rí of Liria. He was in need of someone who could manage the narrative forces that embroiled the kingdom, and lead The Talespinners in the Cogadh na Scéalaithe. Ualter agreed to undertake the challenge, and took command of The Talespinners, a position he holds to this day.
Under his leadership, The Talespinners crafted and disseminated stories aimed at taming the Invasive Narratives that plagued Liria. The stories had to be designed to be memorable and enjoyable, so that they would catch in the collective consciousness, while still creating new narrative expectations that led to less death and mayhem as the stories played through their plotlines. The tales had to be spread as far as possible to maximise their impact on the kingdom, and the natural mutations and variations that cropped up had to be carefully juggled. Ultimately, Ualter and his Talespinners have had enormous success, and while their battle isn't over, they have succesfully convinced the world that Aerendel is the happiest place in the Great Ring.
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